A Shared Existence
by micman60
Summary: Shinji Ikari, at 21 years old, is engaged to and deeply in love with Rei Ayanami. This is the story of their life. Fluffy AU.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: First of all, I'm sorry if the formatting or anything is off, Fanfiction-dot-Net's text thing is really picky about separating sections of text. You try to break a story up with a line of dashes, it gets eaten up and you get a solid wall of text. I compromised with the horizontal lines, and I hope that's alright.**

**This is just some cute fluff I wrote about Shinji and Rei. It's set in an AU just so they can be happy - Rei's just a normal girl, Shinji's a more well-adjusted guy who's repairing his relationship with his dad, and they're both 21 and working. I hope you like it.**

**Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, nor the original medium. If I did, I'd have butchered everything with my slapshot writing.**

* * *

Shinji woke up to the smell of roast coffee beans which was permeating every inch of the modest apartment he lived in. Slowly, with aching legs, he got out of bed and picked up a cleanish pair of pants off his bedroom floor. He smiled - his time living with Misato as an adolescent had affected him more than he'd like to admit.

He took a quick trip to the bathroom before shuffling out to the kitchen. The TV was on, playing one of the numerous morning news shows that aired in Tokyo-3. He glanced over at the kitchen, and saw a pot of coffee waiting for him.

After pouring himself a cup, Shinji began his day. He showered and picked out some appropriate, clean clothes to wear, and threw his dirty laundry in the hamper (along with some articles of clothing from his bedroom floor). He then shaved the wayward stubble from his face, and combed his short chestnut-brown hair.

Today was his day off, but that just meant that he could take care of things at home. His job at NERV, an official government office which dealt with taxes and finances, was unyielding and tiring, and the state of his apartment suffered due to this. He barely had time to breathe between his shifts.

The one thing that made his job worth doing was his co-worker, partner and soon-to-be wife - Rei Ayanami.

Shinji had moved to Tokyo-3 when he was 14, due to a sudden change of heart by his father. Having left him with his mother's family almost a decade earlier, his relocation to Tokyo-3 to manage NERV had prompted him to reconnect with his son. The move caused more harm than good, but it left Shinji in the company of people who cared for him in Gendo's absence.

One of those people was Rei Ayanami. She was in his class in school, and her ice-cool demeanor and voice caught Shinji's heart instantly. He talked to her between lunch breaks, and they had a great deal in common. Rei didn't like the contact initially, but her feelings for Shinji grew, and they became good friends.

7 years later, full of their own ups and downs, and they were living together under the same roof, sharing their existence with each other. From a rough childhood to this - Shinji thanked his lucky stars every day for allowing him such happiness.

He took the last sip of his coffee, and expressed disappointment that it was gone. Sighing, he stood up from his seat in front of the TV and went to put his cup in the sink.

* * *

"Oh, you're out here, Rei."

Rei looked up from the small paperback novel she was reading, to see Shinji coming out onto the balcony with her. The morning sun was climbing ever higher, and the warmth felt nice on her pale skin.

"Good morning, Shinji. Is your morning going pleasantly?"

"It is, but it's been missing something important." He strolled over and placed a kiss on her cheek, to which Rei playfully swatted at him.

"You spend too much time speaking with Mr Kaji."

He laughed and sat in a chair next to her. The table between them held a mug decorated with a floral pattern, blue flowers on a peach background.

He looked over towards Rei. She was wearing a long, deep blue sundress and a wide-brimmed hat. Her light blue hair danced along the side of her face with the breeze, and the sunlight twinkled off her blood-red eyes as she scanned each line of her book.

"I love how you enjoy the morning sun."

She looked up from her novel, confused but pleasantly surprised with Shinji's small outburst.

"Where did that come from?"

"I don't know, it just came to me." Shinji looked into her eyes. "It makes you look so serene, and I love seeing you at peace."

Rei hid her face behind her novel. "I wasn't joking about Mr Kaji, you know."

Shinji blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "I know it's cheesy, but that's what I thought when I saw you this morning."

Rei took a sip of her coffee, then resumed reading her novel.

"Sweet-talker."

Shinji sighed and laid back, taking the view in. The apartment complex they lived in was on the outer skirts of Tokyo-3, so the air was fresh and clean. The city loomed in the distance, made up of monoliths of steel and glass, providing a breathtaking view from their balcony.

"Oh, I just remembered something." Shinji interrupted the silence again, and Rei put her novel down in slight annoyance.

"Misato and Kaji want to go out to dinner sometime soon, when we can all make it out."

"That would be nice." Rei took her coffee and sat back. "I never thought Ms. Katsuragi would settle down, let alone with Mr. Kaji. They make a lovely pair."

"You can call her Misato, you know. She's practically family to me, and soon she will be to you too."

"Old habits die hard, you know." Rei drained the last of her coffee, and got up to put her mug in the sink. Shinji followed her inside.

The morning news had ended, and a lifestyle show had come on in its place. Shinji sat down to watch, and Rei sat in a chair across from him to continue reading.

* * *

After around half an hour and a piece of fruit for breakfast, Shinji yawned and stretched out. The coffee was beginning to wear off, and he was getting drowsy. He's just put his feet up and rested his head on his arms, when he felt something soft but firm collide with the side of his head.

"Don't go back to sleep, you're not wasting your day off." Rei held her novel in her hand, having just used it to hit Shinji. Her voice was gentle but firm.

"It's recharging my batteries, that's not a waste!" Shinji groaned as he rolled over. Rei tapped him with the book again, to which he just stretched out more. She sighed.

"We should be cleaning the apartment today."

With a great degree of hesitation, Shinji moved back into a sitting position. As inviting as a nap was at that moment, she was right. They were busy all the time, and used clothing and garbage had accumulated into piles all over their living space.

"...Alright, give me a second to wake up properly."

Rei smiled. "You picked up some laziness from Ms. Katsuragi, it would seem."

Shinji looked up in surprise, and laughed. He cherished their little moments of synchronization.

While Rei went to get the garbage bags, Shinji stood up and stretched. His shoulder popped loudly, and a wave of relief flooded down his body. He was only 21, but his joints were already beginning to pop when he stretched - he figured that it was due to the stressful nature of his job.

He walked over to where Rei was rifling through drawers, and began looking in cupboards and such for things they'd need. By the time they'd finished searching, they'd found gloves and an unopened pack of sponges as well as the garbage bags.

"I'll take the bedroom and the bathroom, if you like," Shinji offered. Rei agreed, and began picking up trash in the kitchen.

Shinji walked into the bedroom and looked around. There were clothes on the floor from both of them, cans of instant coffee, bottles, various wrappers and labels - the room was a mess. It was a comfortable mess, but it was a mess regardless.

He began with the clothes. Though they'd been spending the last 3 years together, Shinji still felt a flush of embarrassment whenever he handled his better half's clothes, dirty or clean. He gathered her clothes into a small pile, then went to work piling his up.

Once he'd done that, he began on the trash. It was all just filth, but looking at all the empty coffee cans took Shinji back to the warm nights he'd spent with Rei, lying in bed and listening to the radio. It was often too hot to sleep, especially when they began sharing a bed, so they'd stay up for as long as possible lying in each other's arms, trailing kisses down each other's faces and arms.

He picked up the trash while reminiscing on those simple nights, and before he realized it, he'd cleaned the majority of the waste. He tied 2 full garbage bags up and sat them in the corner, and carried the clothes piles into the bathroom to put them in the hamper. After that, he picked up the bags of trash and brought them out with him to the living room.

Rei was out on the balcony, shaking dust and debris off of the small rug under their coffee table. The table itself was moved off to the side, leaving a wide empty space in front of the TV. The kitchen was a bit better than before, with most of the clutter gone, but the elements still needed cleaning. _I'll do that when I get the chance_, Shinji thought.

He left the bags near the kitchen bench, and went out to see Rei. She'd been working hard, and was covered in dust and sweat. She'd hung the rug over the railing and was hitting it with a broom. Shinji walked up next to her.

"Hey, do you want anything to drink or something?"

"I've only been out here for a few minutes, I'm fine." Rei continued hitting the rug, not looking up.

"You just look tired, that's all."

"Thank you, but I might wait until after this is done."

Shinji stood there for a moment, looking out as the midday sun beat down on them. Rei spoke up suddenly;

"Shouldn't you be cleaning the bathroom?"

"Yeah, I should." Shinji straightened out. "I wanted to see if there was any garbage to take down to the curb."

"There are some bags behind the counter," Rei stopped hitting the rug as she spoke, "but one of them is only half-full. If you could fill it some more, that would be nice."

Shinji nodded and went back inside, as Rei took the rug and turned it around, hitting the other side. He spotted the bag she was talking about, and looked through their fridge for anything that needed to be thrown away. The bag was soon much fuller than before, and Shinji tied it up for transportation, taking it downstairs with 4 other bags of waste.

* * *

When he got back, Rei was behind the kitchen counter. She'd poured 2 tall glasses of juice.

"We should have a break."

Shinji nodded, picking up one of the glasses. Rei picked hers up and went over to the sofa, putting her drink on the coffee table - still displaced from earlier, but within arm's length.

"Hold on a second, Rei," Shinji said as he walked over, "I'll get that."

After giving her his glass and getting her to grab her one as well, Shinji lifted the table up and put it back into place. Rei sat their drinks down in front of them.

"My hero," She jokingly commented on Shinji's action. Her voice was warm. Shinji sat down and took a sip of his juice.

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the refreshment of their drinks, before Shinji gently laid his head on Re's shoulder. She shifted slightly to make them both more comfortable, and rested her head against Shinji's.

"I still can't believe you agreed to marry me," Shinji whispered out of the blue.

She looked down at him. "You were the first and initially only person to show concern for me, and you've been making me happy since the first day I met you. Why wouldn't I agree to marry you?"

"Well, I'm getting lazy now, and I can be indecisive, and aside from typing and cooking I don't have many marketable skills..."

"But those all make up who you are, for better or for worse." Rei interrupted him. "You also have some other negative traits, but your positive qualities outweigh the negatives."

Direct and honest as always. Another reason Shinji loved her. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Thank you, Rei. For agreeing to marry me and for loving me."

"You don't have to thank me, Shinji. You love me back, and that's all that should matter."

Shinji gently nuzzled the side of her neck. "I do. Forever and always."

Rei lent down and placed a gentle peck on Shinji's forehead, and relaxed even more in his embrace. In less than half an hour, they were both asleep.

-  
EXTRA  
-

Rei woke up 3 hours later, the afternoon sun projecting a lazy, humid heat into their apartment. They'd cleaned about half of the apartment up, and though it would have been better to clean the rest that day, she was content with the work they had done.

She looked down at Shinji. His face was peaceful, like he was dreaming of everything he'd ever wanted. Being careful not to shift so much, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight Shinji. I hope you're having pleasant dreams."

She laid her head back again, and went back to sleep. Shinji's grip tightened slightly around her.

Behind his eyelids, in his unconscious mind, he was floating through an empty void. Rei's gentle voice danced through his head, echoing off the walls, enveloping Shinji's self in a warm glow.

His consciousness traveled through the void, following the quiet whispers, until he found a small, glowing, snow-white nucleus. He held it in his hands, and the light from it grew out and swirled around his body. It began to take on substance, and before he had realized it, Rei had appeared out of the light and embraced him from behind.

"Thank goodness I found you, Rei." he whispered, his heart growing warm with his love for her. "I would have been lost without you."

And they floated in the void, together.


	2. Chapter 2

_I hope you enjoy this chapter. The AN is at the bottom due to length._

* * *

As stressful as his job was at NERV, Shinji felt comfortable doing it. It was taxing on his health, but it always provided a healthy challenge and it felt good to work with his peers. He enjoyed his work a great deal.

So when he woke up after his day off, he was somewhat happy to go back. It's not that he disliked home, but working was a part of his life which, at that point, felt inseparable from the rest of his life.

It helped that he never went a day without seeing his partner, either. Rei also enjoyed her work, and the four years she'd been working at NERV with Shinji had helped her come out of her shell and meet new people. To them both, NERV was a place to prove one's worth and to enjoy meaningful social interaction.

Looking at her under their blanket, Shinji's heart leapt just a tiny bit. He remembered the previous day, how they'd napped together for hours, and how he dreamed of her. He'd woken up hours later in the stifling heat of the late afternoon, and he and Rei had an early dinner. Deciding to leave the rest of the housework for the next few days, they'd gone to bed early and slept just as soundly as they had on the couch.

He took great care in not rousing Rei from her sleep as he got out of bed, and he gently walked out to the kitchen to check the time.

5:47.

Their alarms would go off at 7 am, so he had just over an hour to prepare breakfast before she woke up.

* * *

Rei woke up in a haze, slightly dehydrated and with a sore neck. She sat up and moved her head around, until she felt a small pop. Satisfied, she looked over at the alarm clock on her bedside table - it was 6:34.

She looked over at the other side of their bed, to find a slightly warm indentation. He must have already gotten up, she figured.

Blurry-eyed and thirsty, she got out of bed to get a drink. She walked out into the living room, and saw Shinji in the kitchen, cooking something. From the smell, she'd guess that he was making an omelette.

Shinji didn't see her walk out, being too wrapped up in cooking the omelette to perfection. He turned around to get some spring onion, and stopped cold as he noticed Rei standing near the doorway to their room. She was wearing a large sweat-shirt - comfortable and warm, but with enough room to allow the cold air in.

Shinji himself was a bit of a spectacle, wearing loose, white boxer shorts and a white shirt, holding a spatula and reaching for the fridge. Suddenly self-conscious, he grabbed what he needed with an urgent speed and went back to the frying pan. He couldn't help but feel a bit lecherous at seeing Rei in her bed-clothes, and a bit embarrassed at being seen in his.

She walked over to him, and he began moving around in jerky movements. He grabbed the onions and took his time cutting them up as Rei took a seat on the other side of the counter.

Her gentle voice suddenly spoke up - "The omelette's browning."

Shinji had been too pre-occupied with cutting the onions that he needed, and had neglected to move the omelette in a while. He quickly turned it over - to find a regular, fluffy omelette. Rei giggled.

"You're in a mischievous mood this morning." Shinji turned to the chopping board and began cutting thin slices of salami. He cut those slices into quarters, and stacked them on top of each other.

"I feel nice." Rei smiled as she poured some juice from a pitcher on their counter. She looked at the materials Shinji had cut up, and at a plate of sausages he'd charred on the grill earlier.

"How long have you been awake?"

Shinji looked over at the frying pan before answering. "I woke up around quarter to 6, and I didn't want to disturb you. You worked harder than I did yesterday, and I thought you deserved some more rest."

"We worked equally as hard, though. You don't have to be modest." Rei had picked up trash and cleaned the rug, but Shinji had taken the trash downstairs as well as cleaned up their room.

"I guess so, sorry." Shinji turned away and continued his work on breakfast, flipping the omelette again and neatly cutting it into quarters with the spatula.

Shinji began to slide the now individual omelettes onto a clean, white plate, and had just finished when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He turned around, to see Rei right there rising up on her toes. Before he had time to realize what was happening, she tenderly kissed him on the lips.

Shinji fumbled with the frying pan, half-dropping it back on top of the stove, but Rei continued for a moment more before moving away.

"_Thank you for letting me sleep_," she whispered as she lowered herself down. Before she left though, Shinji stopped her and kissed her on her jawline.

He'd aimed for her cheek, but her kiss had clouded his mind and he inadvertently went for a more sensitive place. Her response was to gasp, and she shuddered slightly at the contact.

They looked at each other, and the kitchen seemed to melt away. they looked into each other's eyes, and the feelings behind their kisses translated into what felt like electricity between them.

Rei stepped across the boundary first and kissed Shinji, and Shinji welcomed her advance. They stood there by the bench, locked at the mouth for what felt like forever, one of them occasionally breaking contact to go for the other's throat or shoulder which led to a wilder response each time.

They were on the verge of going back to bed when Rei pulled away, red in the face and panting. She looked like she was restraining herself from going further.

"I'm sorry... I really need something to eat."

Shinji was disappointed, but his stomach growled and he realized that he felt the same.

"Maybe we can finish this after breakfast?"

Rei smiled slyly and nodded slightly... Only for their bedroom clock to sound its alarm.

7 o'clock. No spare time left.

* * *

After breakfast, the pair got cleaned up and ready for work. They contemplated sharing their shower time, but decided they didn't want to risk using too much time and being late. Shinji used Rei's time in the shower to make more omelettes, and when she got out he had a boxed lunch waiting for her.

Rei drove them both to work each morning, mostly to save fuel but also because she was the better driver of the 2. Shinji didn't seem to mind - he felt safe with Rei behind the wheel, more so than when he was. She could get to work on time easily, but when she could, she'd drive at a slower pace so they could take in the scenery. They enjoyed work, but any time they had to themselves was golden.

Eventually though, they had to arrive at work. Once they had parked in the company carpark, they briefly kissed one last time before entering the workplace.

They took an elevator to their floor, and upon reaching their destination they were greeted by an older man in glasses. His hair was beginning to show strands of white, and his goatee had streaks of sliver as well.

"Shinji, Rei. I trust your brief rest day was productive?"

"Yes, sir," Shinji bowed slightly and shook the older man's hand. "Thank you for allowing us the day off. We used our time very well, and appreciate your generosity."

Rei bowed also, and Gendo smiled at the both of them.

"There's no need for the formalities yet, the work day hasn't begun. I'm glad you appreciated the break." He took Rei's hand for a moment.

"Thank you si- erm, Dad." Shinji still had trouble addressing his father with parental names, but he was glad that the option was open. The old man was getting softer with age, and both Shinji and Gendo were beginning to make amends for the past.

The older man smiled. "I hope you both work well today. I have to go, but I'll see you both during the day."

Shinji and Rei bowed, and Gendo left. Both of them made their way to the logbook and wrote their arrival time in, and headed to their separate working areas.

* * *

Shinji's department worked with businesses, monitoring their earnings to determine how much tax they should be paying. Shinji monitored and occasionally entered data, and printed off physical records of his given businesses in case of power failure.

He was present in a team of 60 workers, taking care of businesses partially or wholly owned by the government. Of those 60, he knew 2 of them quite well and worked with them when he could.

The first person was someone he knew especially well - as a teenager, she raised him and helped teach him the skills to work at NERV. Her name was Misato Katsuragi.

The second was an old friend of both his father and Misato - and was currently romantically involved with the latter. His name was Ryoji Kaji, though he preferred to go by Kaji whenever possible.

Both of them were working on their respective sections when Shinji walked in, but as soon as they realized his presence they stopped what they were doing. Shinji quickly felt like a mouse being cornered by housecats, as Misato and Kaji prepared their barrage of inappropriate questions and comments.

"Here he is, Mr Fiancé himself," Kaji began, "fresh from making "wedding plans" with his blushing bride."

Misato giggled as Shinji's face turned a deep crimson. "It looks like they were "planning" around this morning, judging by those marks on his neck."

Shinji's entire world came tumbling down. He'd spoken to his father this morning - the thought of being seen with such intimate marks made him want to scream. Life as he knew it was surely over.

He scrambled to find a mirror, and found one on Misato's desk. He searched his face and neck frantically, looking for the painless purple bruise which had ruined him.

No hickeys or love-marks whatsoever. They'd gotten him with the second joke of the day.

Kaji was laughing quietly, but he was holding his sides and shaking. Misato was showing a little less restraint, crouched over a table and wheezing, but she was quiet also. Shinji huffed and sat at his desk.

After he'd found where he had left off 2 days before, he began to work. It was 5 minutes later that Misato came over to him, to his annoyance. She seemed a bit more subdued, if not still a bit tickled.

"Sorry, but it was a really good prediction."

"...I know." Shinji huffed. Misato ruffled his hair.

"You're starting to take the guff a bit better, that's good." She gave him a gentle, friendly push, which Shinji didn't appreciate.

"It's nice to see you, but I have work to catch up on. Can you leave me alone until lunch hour?"

Misato sighed. "Ahh, so serious as always. Okay, I'll let you carry on."

She left, and Shinji continued working. For the rest of the morning period, there were no more interruptions.

* * *

"So you just cleaned your apartment? No other funny business?"

Rei shook her head, with the faintest smile on her face. Her co-worker frowned.

"You've got to be joking. If I had a day off, I'd at least treat myself a little."

"The time I spend with him is enough." Rei picked up a folder, and slid out a sheet of figures.

Rei worked in the salary office of NERV, and along with the small team of professionals who worked alongside her, managed the wages and salaries of NERV's employees.

"Bleh, you guys are so lovey-dovey. I can barely stand it!" The mystery co-worker went back to her own work, marking down hours worked and equivalent pay earned.

"Perhaps... if you found a partner, Asuka," Rei gently spoke gently, as to not rile her up, "you would understand how I feel."

"I'm not a fan of dating, though," Asuka sighed, "and even if I was, I doubt I could meet anyone of my calibre."

Asuka's outlook on life always intrigued Rei. She was very unconventional in her views, outside the norm. Things had to go her way in life - and her way was often hard to follow. Her viewpoint of the world wasn't necessarily invalid, but it was at odds with Rei's - and the contrast made for interesting conversations.

"I hope you can find someone who completes you."

Rei's comment was a bit out of the blue, and rubbed Asuka the wrong way. "Thank you for the concern," she hastily spat out sarcastically, "but I rely on myself to create my happiness. And I'm fine with that."

"I'm sorry for offending you. Your choices are equally as valid as my own."

Asuka huffed, and both women went back to work. The 2 worked in silence, taking care of their individual projects.

A full 10 minutes before lunch ended, Rei filed the last of her paperwork away and stood up. Asuka looked up at her in disbelief.

"Are you seriously done already? You've even done the work from yesterday?"

"I have," Rei confirmed, "and I'm doing a vending machine run. Would you like anything?"

"Well, if you're offering, could you grab me a juicebox?" Asuka rooted through the top drawer of her desk, and handed Rei some crumpled notes and coins. "That should be enough."

"Okay, I'll be back shortly." Rei turned to leave.

"Wait a sec, are you doing a run?"

Rei turned to the source of the voice - a long-haired male in his 30's, who was looking over at her. She nodded in confirmation.

"Here, could you grab me a can of coffee while you're there?" He got up and handed her a handful of coins.

"Of course, Mr. Aoba. I'll be back soon."

He thanked her, and she went on her way.

* * *

**AN: First off, yes - this chapter does drop off at the end. That's because this chapter alone is around as long as the first, and the third chapter is _even longer_. I thought the first chapter was too long, and that I was just getting a feel for writing the story - now I'm stuck writing longer and longer chapters. I hope I don't fall into a cycle of writing longer chapters every time.**

**Secondly, Aoba's inclusion at the end is a bit of an ass-pull. Honestly, I think it's just fanservice - a little nod to his existence, showing what he's doing in this continuity. He doesn't really serve much plot relevance, but he'll probably pop up from time to time because I like him. I do plan to introduce a wider variety of characters as well, so stay tuned.**

**And lastly, tying into the above - next chapter introduces one of my favorite characters from the series, but his inclusion will most likely end up being monotonous. Seriously, I want to throw out a warning - if you think the mentions of Shinji and Rei being engaged are gratuitous because I didn't show the proposal, then you're not going to like the next chapter.**

**I'd appreciate any of your thoughts on this chapter and/or the story in general. Next chapter should be up in a few days. And please excuse the beefy Author's Note, I'll get better about it soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

_AN at the bottom - I might just make that a regular thing. Please enjoy the chapter_

* * *

Lunch hour came around soon, and Shinji went to one of the company's lunch rooms. It was just a large room with a small self-operated kitchen, and a decent variety of vending machines. There were 3 separate lunch rooms at NERV due to the size of the staff, one with an actual cafeteria in it, but Shinji didn't use the others - he enjoyed cooking his own lunch, and it was cheaper to do so as well. Not many other people used this room either, so it was always nice and quiet.

He was joined by Misato and Kaji, and soon by Rei and a reluctant Asuka.

"Here he is, the boring Mr. Shinji himself." Asuka sat down with an air of self-righteousness.

Shinji had known Asuka since he started school in Tokyo-3, and he'd even worked under her at NERV before. Though their friendship was strained and occasionally even forced, they were more often than not good-natured colleagues.

"That's me," he sighed as he poked at his food, "the idiot himself."

"You're still taking this morning pretty rough, aren't you kid?" Kaji sat down next to him with a can of coffee. Shinji nodded slightly, and picked up a piece of omelette.

"What happened this morning?" Asuka asked curiously.

She'd opened the floodgates.

"Well, me and Misato ganged up on him when he came in..."

Soon Kaji had told the story to an amused Asuka and a slightly mortified Rei, the latter blushing and looking down at her own food before the story was over.

Asuka threw an arm over Rei's shoulder. "I guess your day off wasn't so boring after all!"

"Please stop speaking about it. It's uncomfortable." Rei picked up some of her food.

Misato came over from the vending machines, arms laden with various treats - barely any of it could be considered a part of a solid meal. Still, it beat eating her own cooking.

She took one look at Asuka and Rei, and she groaned. "Come on, you already told them? You should have waited for me!"

"Can we please just forget about it...?" Shinji mumbled as the table's patrons talked among themselves, ignoring him in favor of his embarrassing moment.

After a few minutes, everyone had stopped talking about it in favor of focusing on their food. Misato was dedicated to her yakisoba bread, and Kaji was eating his homemade boxed lunch. Asuka was eating some sort of sandwich and drinking the box of juice she'd gotten earlier.

"Oh, while we're all together," Kaji drew the table's attention, "did you tell Rei about the dinner plans, Shinji?"

"I did, but I thought we hadn't decided on when to go," he answered. Working at NERV was taxing, so going out after work would just be tiring.

"Well, I found out there's a half-day coming up really soon." Kaji paused to sip his coffee. "About half the staff will be here, and it'll be a slow work day. It's better than waiting for our rest days to line up."

Shinji looked over towards Rei. She looked up at Kaji, and nodded.

"That works."

Kaji beamed. "Alright, that's great! We finally have a date. It's this coming Sunday, so that gives you the better half of a week to prepare."

"You'd better start bracing yourself, kids," Misato chimed in, "because when you're out with us, the night doesn't end until one of us is injured or sick!"

Shinji and Rei thought back to when Misato came into work after a night out, nursing a broken ankle. She'd insisted that it was due to a car hitting her on her way home, but Kaji told them she picked a fight with a passing cyclist and gotten her ankle wrapped up in one of the bike's wheels. The thought of drinking with her made them both cringe inside.

"What, and you're leaving me out?" Asuka seemed a bit irritable now. "I'm sitting right here, you know!"

"Sorry Asuka, but this is a double date - four's company, but five's a crowd."

Misato reached behind Shinji and hit Kaji over the back of the head.

"Smart-ass."

Asuka stuck her nose up. "Well then, I can see where I'm not wanted!"

Before anyone could stop her, she took her things and left their table.

"...I guess it was rude of us to make plans right in front of her." Shinji went back to picking at his food.

Kaji nodded in agreement. "Fair enough, but we don't get a lot of time to talk with Rei as well as yourself. It was now or never."

"Yeah." Shinji finished the last of his lunch. Satisfied, he wrapped the tin container up in the handkerchief and placed the bundle in front of him.

* * *

As the group finished their respective meals, the lunch bell went off. They got up, heading over to dispose of their waste and such, when Shinji was stopped by an old, leathery hand being placed on his shoulder.

He turned around to see a much older man - a man he recognized well. His features were just as distinguished as they had been when he was a teenager, but age had reduced his stature slightly. He hunched over now, and walked with a cane. He was formerly the second-in-command to Gendo Ikari, and the best worker NERV had ever seen.

"Mr. Fuyutsuki, hello!" Shinji bowed and shook the older man's hand.

"Hello Shinji, I see you've been well." The old man was cheerful in his tone.

The others turned around to see where Shinji had gone off to, and saw Fuyutsuki as well. Before he knew it, Fuyutsuki had a captive audience of Misato and Kaji.

"Mr Fuyutsuki, sir!"

"It's nice to see you in good health, sir!"

Fuyutsuki waved them down. "Relax, I'm not here on any sort of business. I just wanted to see Shinji and Rei. Please don't bother with the formalities."

"Okay, sir." Kaji resumed his laid-back attitude. Fuyutsuki turned back towards Shinji, and towards Rei, who'd joined them in the commotion.

"Could I have a quiet word with you both for a moment? It's nothing serious, just a small chat."

Shinji looked at the clock. "I'd enjoy that, but lunch has just finished. We have to go clock back in."

The old man smiled. "Oh come now, a couple of minutes are nothing. I'll tell Gendo that I kept you both."

Rei nodded and extended her hand to shake. "We'd love to, sir."

"Excellent, I won't keep you long." Fuyutsuki began guiding them over towards the other side of the room, but not before looking back towards Misato and Kaji.

"Get back to work, you slackers!" he yelled out, in a joking tone of voice.

"Coming from Mr. Retiree, that's rich!" Kaji yelled back. Regardless, he and Misato left the room.

When they'd left, Fuyutsuki moved a chair from a nearby table and sat. Shinji and Rei did the same.

"I heard from Gendo that you've decided to get married."

Shinji and Rei nodded, and Fuyutsuki beamed. "That's wonderful news! I'm happy for you both."

"Thank you sir. It's not a decision we take lightly, we love each other very much." Shinji was slightly nervous at this meeting, and it was beginning to show. Fuyutsuki patted his shoulder.

"Relax, Shinji. I wouldn't have assumed anything else."

"Sorry, sir." Shinji looked down.

The older man cleared his throat slightly. "I came in today to congratulate you both, and also because I want to consider giving you both a wedding present."

"Sir... that's very kind of you." Rei was slightly taken aback at the proposition. Neither she or Shinji actually knew Fuyutsuki all that well, knowing him from their first few years of work. For him to give either of them a wedding present was unexpected.

He must have seen the apprehension on their faces, because he put his hands up in front of him.

"At least hear my proposition before turning it down." His tone was gentle, but he wouldn't stop until he'd said his piece. Both of them had seen the way he worked, and what tones of voice he used. There was no point to resisting until he'd finished speaking.

Seeing them relax, Fuyutsuki continued. "To begin with, I want to give you some money to put towards a home for you both."

Shinji went to protest, but Fuyutsuki rose his hand. "Wait."

He receded back into his seat, and Fuyutsuki continued.

"Secondly, I have a summer home in Hawaii, right on the beach. There's nowhere around for miles, except a beautiful, small village with everything you'd need. I want to offer it to you as a honeymoon location."

The couple looked at each other, and whispered a few words while Fuyutsuki waited. After a long moment, Rei spoke up.

"Your offer is very generous, sir, but... we're not sure if we'd like to accept such a lavish gift."

He smiled.

"I understand that this is unexpected, and this gift can be seen as confronting. It's fine if you don't want to accept it, but I want you both to think about it for a few days before making a decision."

After a moment of quiet deliberation, both agreed to Fuyutsuki's conditions. They shook hands, and bowed.

"Thank you for your offer, sir. We'll decide in the next few days."

"That would be nice." Fuyutsuki began to walk away, but turned back around.

"...Hey, it's been nice seeing you both again."

"You too, sir." Shinji and Rei bowed again, and Fuyutsuki waved.

* * *

"So, what did he want?"

Sure enough, once Shinji got back to his work area, Kaji had descended upon him like a big cat going for the kill. Misato was handling some of her work, but looked over at Shinji expectantly.

"...He wanted to give us a wedding present." There was no point in lying to them over something so trivial.

Kaji seemed surprised by his answer. "That's pretty nice of him. I don't think I've ever seen him give much to anybody."

"Yeah, I thought so too." Shinji looked down. "I don't feel comfortable accepting his gift."

"What did he offer you?" Misato had sat backwards on her chair, and was idly spinning around on it.

"...Well, he offered us money to buy a home with."

Both Kaji and Misato looked at Shinji in complete surprise. Misato nearly fell off her chair.

"And then he offered us his summer house in Hawaii for our honeymoon."

"You're kidding!" Kaji talked a bit louder than he'd intended, and other people around them looked towards him. He lowered his voice into a harsh whisper.

"I don't think I've ever seen the old man being this generous, but I know for a fact he's loaded. His gift isn't going to put a dent in his pocket, so I think you should just take him up on it."

"I don't feel comfortable taking his money, though." Shinji cleaned up some papers to keep his hands occupied. "It's too much, especially from Mr Fuyutsuki."

Misato had walked over to join the conversation.

"I wonder if he'd give us a gift if we got married..."

Kaji seemed amused. "You're joking, right? Us getting married would be like caging a mongoose and a cobra together."

"I dunno," Shinji interjected, "you both seem like the perfect match for each other."

Kaji looked away. "Sorry to dash your hopes, but I'm really not the marrying type."

Seeing that he'd struck a nerve, Shinji went back to his paperwork. Kaji and Misato went back to their own devices, and they worked until the end of the day.

Meanwhile, Rei had spoken to Asuka about Fuyutsuki's offer, and the fiery redhead's temper had flared to new heights.

"What?! He'll give you guys money for getting married? He used to be such a penny-pincher, this is ridiculous!"

"I assume he's grown softer with age." Rei handled paperwork as it came to her, often having time to talk. Asuka was beginning to fall behind.

"Maybe he retired because he was losing his touch. He might be forgetting the skills which made him so rich."

"I don't think so," Rei began as she began organizing her desk, "he wouldn't be offering us anything if he couldn't afford it."

Asuka smirked. "So, it sounds like you're gonna take him up on his offer."

"We haven't decided yet." Rei didn't appreciate her co-worker's tone. "Me and Shinji are going to discuss it. It is a decadent offer, and I'm not sure how to feel about it."

"Honestly, you should just take it." Asuka had begun focusing more on her work, having spied how far ahead of her Rei was. "I've been living here for nearly a decade, and I still don't get the big deal about accepting gifts."

"If someone offered you a large gift, wouldn't you feel indebted to them?" Rei asked her.

Asuka thought about it.

"Well, when you put it that way... yeah, for a while. But they want to give you such a nice thing and expect you to use it, then it'd be a lost opportunity not to take it - especially if it could help you out."

Rei smiled. It was always pleasant to get a new outlook on a situation, and Asuka was always good for a second opinion.

* * *

At the end of the day, Shinji still had some work to complete - nothing he couldn't do the next day, but an amount he could have done without so many distractions. Fuyutsuki's offer was on the forefront of his mind as he headed for the logbook.

As he signed, he felt someone move next to him.

"Shinji, I noticed you were a bit behind today."

Just his luck - it was Gendo.

"Yes, sir - there is no excuse. I'm sorry, and I will work harder tomorrow to make up the difference."

"It's okay." Gendo laid a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "I know about Fuyutsuki's offer, and I can only imagine that it was on your mind for most of the day."

Shinji felt relieved. He felt bad enough about the day, and being forgiven for falling short was a luxury he needed.

"Thank you for understanding, Mr. Ikari."

"It's fine, Shinji, really." Gendo waved off the thanks. "Just make up the difference tomorrow and there'll be no problem."

Shinji smiled, and shook Gendo's hand. Before he left though, Gendo muttered something to him in a low voice.

"Fuyutsuki's not the type of man to give gifts, so I imagine his offer means quite a lot to him. Just remember that."

And with those parting words, Gendo went back to his office.

Shinji went down and headed for the car, where Rei was waiting for him. He pecked her on the cheek before getting in, and soon they were on their way home. Rei drove slowly and evenly, and eventually she brought up the gift.

"...The offer he's given us is a very useful opportunity."

Shinji sighed as he looked out the window. The trees outside were painted a rusty brown by the setting sun.

"I know... It's just such a big thing, especially coming from him."

"I feel uncomfortable about taking his money and hospitality," Rei began as they approached an intersection, "but it seemed like an important decision to him."

"Yeah, my father said as much on the way out." Shinji's attention was drawn to the road ahead, as they turned towards their neighborhood.

They coasted along a long road for a few minutes, sitting in uncomfortable silence. Both were trying to phrase their thoughts in a way that wouldn't hurt the other if they disagreed.

Rei spoke up first. "...Everyone seems to think we should take it. It's like we don't even have a say in the matter."

Shinji smiled. "Yeah, I understand what you mean."

They were silent for a few more minutes. They were soon within viewing distance of their apartment building. The car seemed to slow down as the pair tried to make the next move.

"I think we should accept." Shinji broke the silence first. Rei struggled to find the right words, but she eventually replied.

"...It really would help us out greatly." Rei smiled. "It could help us start a family, when we're ready."

They'd discussed starting a family before, but this was the first time either of them had mentioned it outside of a hypothetical situation. For a split second, Shinji felt like his heart was going to burst.

"...Yeah. We could start a family with that money." Shinji began to beam as he imagined himself and Rei as a family - with a house, and children.

Rei pulled into the car-park outside their apartment building, and looked over towards Shinji.

"It looks like we're accepting his gift, then."

"Yeah." Shinji hadn't stopped grinning yet. There was nothing at that moment which could have made him happier than the thought of raising a child with his wife.

"We'll have to make him the guest of honor when we decide on a date then." Rei took the keys out of the ignition and opened her door, and Shinji followed her out of the car.

"Absolutely. I might even make him my best man."

Rei smiled at the suggestion. "I can only imagine the bachelor party he'd throw you, with nearly 70 years of life experience under his belt."

Shinji laughed, as the image of Mr Fuyutsuki becoming a wild playboy entered his head.

As they headed up the stairs to their apartment, Shinji stopped for a moment.

"Hey, wait a second, Rei."

She stopped and turned towards him, and he softly embraced her. Gently, he whispered in her ear.

"I can't wait for us to start a family. I couldn't imagine a future any better than one spent with you."

Rei melted into his embrace, and felt the warmth of his face brushing against hers. She whispered quietly into his shoulder.

"I wouldn't miss that for the world."

Shinji softly pecked her on the lips, and Rei returned the favor. They stood there in each other's arms, until the rays of the setting sun began to subside.

* * *

**AN: Man, I get that the gift was a big deal for them, but it didn't have to come up so much during the chapter! A better writer would have worked it in a little less and given it the same amount of...**

**Wait a second, I wrote this. What the hell am I talking about?**

**Asuka's behavior is already getting nasty, which was -partially- unintended. I wanted cranky Asuka, but now it seems she's turning into a far more catty Asuka than I intended. This is an issue which is going to get worse before it gets better - I have a chapter buffer, and I am not kind to her characterization in a future chapter. I'll get better at it.**

**Next chapter is a filler which gets us out of the office, and between the sheets~~. Well, not for the whole chapter. It's out of the office at least, and that's a good thing for everyone. Everybody gets a break next chapter, hooray!**


	4. Chapter 4

_This chapter pushes a hard T due to a clear but non-descriptive mention of sex. It's the first paragraph, for God's sake. AN is at the bottom._

The pair laid in bed, having worked out their frustrations after getting in the front door - barely making it to the bed. After that and work, they were both exhausted - Shinji had already kissed Rei goodnight and fallen asleep, at 7:30 PM.

Rei was resting her head on Shinji's bare chest, listening to his even heartbeat as he breathed. His heart would skip a beat every time she moved her head, and she took comfort in running a finger up and down his side from time to time to hear his heart flutter.

For both parties, there was no other place in the world where they'd rather be.

* * *

March 13, 2015.

Shinji Ikari stepped off the train into a new world.

A shy, sheltered boy, Shinji had travelled a great distance from his home of 11 years in order to be with his father. A man Shinji hated, but who he'd followed to Tokyo-3 regardless - miles and miles away from where he had grown up.

The pair had been more or less separated for the last decade - several attempts to make contact had been made over the years, but they were very sporadic. Gendo had begun calling his son occasionally around the time that he turned 5, and he even visited once when he was 7. The last time they'd talked was over the phone, when Shinji was 12.

Gendo's attempts to connect with his son rarely worked - Shinji knew that other children his age lived with their parents, and he harbored a deep resentment of his father for his absence. Gendo had never told Shinji why he was absent, and he would only discuss subjects that were topical when they did talk. With Gendo's lack of contact, and a lack of friends from an early age, it made sense that the boy grew up feeling lonely.

Despite his feelings, Shinji couldn't say that he disliked living with his aunt and uncle - they were very kind, and he never went without necessities or love. But he felt that his life was missing something - he had no mother, and his father seemed like he wanted nothing to do with him.

So when Gendo summoned him to Tokyo-3 on his 14th birthday, he was somewhat happy. He hoped that they could connect more as father and son, that they could have some things in common - and he hoped most of all that the loneliness bred by his absence would be filled, and that he'd know what it was like to have a proper familial connection.

Things never had a knack for turning out in Shinji's life, though.

It was 5 PM when he arrived, and the sun was slowly sliding down past the horizon. Expecting to see his father, he was instead greeted at the station by a professional-looking woman in a red jacket and deep purple dress. Her hair was dyed a shade of purple slightly lighter than her dress, and she wore light traces of make-up. Her smile was warm, but it looked plastic - like it was painted on.

"Shinji Ikari?"

He was surprised at hearing the stranger say his name, but he responded with a nod. Cheerfully, she extended her hand for Shinji to shake. Confused, he shook it.

"Hi, I'm Misato! Your father sent me to pick you up."

"O-oh. Hello." He fumbled over his own words, having not expected this turn of events. Misato frowned slightly at his reaction.

"Your dad didn't tell you? He ran into a ton of paperwork and had to stay behind at work. It was a sudden thing, so he sent me to pick you up."

"Oh, okay. I don't have a phone, so he couldn't have reached me." He was relieved - for a moment, he thought his father had abandoned him.

Seeing him improve slightly, she began running through the situation.

"Your dad told me to take you to his place, so you can wait there in comfort. He said he'd be done by 8, and you're free to help yourself to whatever you like when you arrive - drinks, food, whatever."

As she talked, she'd led Shinji over to her car and had loaded his meagre luggage into the back. Shinji was just climbing into the passenger seat as she finished, and he nodded to show that he understood. Misato seemed to take offense, in what she intended to be a joking manner.

"Do you talk much, or do you just nod all the time?"

Her tone came out much harsher than she'd intended, and Shinji flinched. He lowered his gaze to the floor.

"...Sorry."

Upon seeing his reaction, a wave of disappointment washed over Misato. _Damnit, he probably hates me now_, she thought as she started up her car's engine.

* * *

Along the way, Shinji's stare didn't leave the floor of her car. Despite her slip-up earlier, Misato tried to speak with him and get him out of his shell.

"So, do you see your father often?"

"Not really." Shinji hugged his knees slightly. "He visited once when I was 7, but other than that I haven't seen him since I was 3." His voice hardened slightly near the end, the last words coming out of his mouth like poison.

_Strike 2_, Misato thought.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize." She was sincere, but Shinji kept staring downwards.

"It's okay. I know it's a weird situation."

It was evident that he had some issues just from looking at him, but his answer made it clear to Misato just how deep those issues went. She knew that it was wrong for children to believe that their lives were abnormal in any way - but Shinji not only acknowledged it, he'd more or less accepted it. A sudden pang of anger hit her and she gripped her steering wheel as hard as she could.

The least she felt that she could do was help alleviate his mood.

"...It's not necessarily a weird situation."

Misato's comment roused Shinji's attention, and for the first time during their trip, he turned to look at her. It wasn't a positive look, but she continued speaking anyway.

"I can't say I understand your exact situation, but my parents died when I was 6."

Though he was originally angry at Misato for what appeared to be a half-hearted attempt to cheer him up, her following comment froze him in his tracks. She continued:

"I never got close to my parents, so I kind of get where you're coming from. It's not the same, because your dad's still around, but... it feels similar."

"...Yeah." Shinji cautiously said. He looked like he was going to say something else, but he caught himself and began staring down again. Misato noticed.

"If you have any other questions, you can ask me. I won't mind."

"Okay... uhh..." Shinji trailed off.

"What is it?"

He blushed. "Please excuse me for asking, but... a-are you my father's wife?"

"Woah, no way!" Frankly, the thought of doing anything with Gendo in general disgusted Misato. "I was just ahead of my work, and he needed someone to pick you up."

Her sudden reaction frightened Shinji, and he shied away from Misato. "Sorry for asking, it's just... something he wouldn't have told me."

"...Fair enough." After hearing about his experiences with his father, she didn't doubt Shinji for a second.

* * *

They soon showed up to a sizeable house, with an oddly angular, post-modern design. Misato got Shinji's bag out of her car, and unlocked the front door for him.

"Well, this is it I guess." She gave him the house-keys she'd used, and placed his bag by the door.

"Yeah... Thank you, Ms. Misato."

As bad as she felt, Misato knew she couldn't do anything else for the boy. All she could do was see him in, and say a simple goodbye before walking away.

Halfway down the walkway, though, she realized one more thing she could do for him.

Shinji had begun walking inside when he heard a knock at the door. Thinking Misato had forgotten something important, he opened the door to see her furiously scribbling onto a piece of paper.

She passed it to him, and he realized that it was her phone number.

"Don't get the wrong idea," she chirped playfully, "I'm not giving you this to hit on you!"

Shinji blushed at her, and she giggled. It was just a bit of harmless fun on her part, and he actually looked kind of cute when he was embarrassed - for the first time that day, she'd actually hit the ball instead of striking out. She resumed her regular posture, albeit with a much more genuine smile than before, and continued talking.

"Seriously though - if you get lonely or need someone to talk to, you can give me a call. I got let out early, so you won't be bothering me if you need to chat. I'm sure your dad has a phone in there somewhere."

Though the gesture was confusing, Shinji nodded. "Thank you, I will."

For the first time, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. It was miniscule, but it made Misato feel much better.

"Well, I should get going." With a smile, she turned around and began walking away. She was just about to get in her car and drive off, when Shinji's voice rang out from the doorstep.

"W-wait!"

Misato turned around to face him. His voice had broken in a desperate sort of way, and she could see that he was having trouble saying something. He finally managed to say what he wanted to say, though he half-shouted it from where he stood;

"...Thank you for picking me up from the station! It was nice to meet you!"

He hadn't looked directly at her as he said it, but Misato could tell he genuinely meant what he said. It looked like he'd strained himself to say as much as he had, and for Misato that was more than enough.

"You too, Shinji! I'll see you around, okay?"

"O-okay!" His mood increased dramatically, and as Misato turned and climbed into her car, her smile widened.

* * *

Shinji's eyes fluttered open, and he looked around groggily. He spied the alarm clock on Rei's side of the bed, and saw that it was 11:06 - presumably at night, considering the darkness and the air temperature.

It had gotten colder during his sleep, and he felt goosebumps all around his body. All except for his left side - which, upon closer inspection, was due to Rei's presence there, her head on his chest and her eyes closed.

His eyes brushed along her naked shoulders, and she also had goosebumps. She was also shivering slightly in her sleep, her back almost totally exposed to the chilly night air. Being careful not to stir too much, he took the blanket which was lying across their lower halves, and brought it up over them more - covering his chest and draping it over Rei's shoulders.

Upon feeling the added warmth, Rei moved closer to Shinji. He put his other arm around her and hugged her tight. This seemed to please her, because she relaxed and began breathing evenly into his chest.

Seeing that all was right with the world, Shinji put his head back down and drifted back to sleep.

But before he fell completely, he remembered the dream he'd had - a reminiscence of his first moments in Tokyo-3. The day when his life had begun to change for the better.

And despite its ups and downs, he wouldn't have redone it any other way.

* * *

**AN: This was just a nice breather chapter, to read and to write. I wanted to make it longer, but after the length of the other chapters I decided the story needed a shift-up - a new starting point, length-wise, to eliminate the long, towering chapters that preceded it. Looking at my chapter buffer, though... well, let's just call this chapter a strike-out in that department.**

**This is the first chapter in a line of flashback chapters. The story began**** with Shinji and Rei living together, engaged and with stable jobs - their pasts explained away in a paragraph. I envisioned this story as a here-and-now deal, but I'm beginning to really get into this story's past. It's no secret that this story is an AU just so I can write them all different and happy in the real world, but I'm thinking about how different things have turned out, how everyone met etc. Also, I really want to imagine how Shinji and Rei grew closer, and how Shinji proposed.**

**Next chapter: Fuyutsuki's offer, sandwiches and a cranky Shinji.**


	5. Chapter 5

After a break day for both of them on Monday, and a surprising visit from an old face on Tuesday, Shinji and Rei worked throughout the week at their regular pace. They'd discussed Mr. Fuyutsuki's wedding gift between themselves throughout the next two days, but otherwise nothing else had really changed. They were back to their normal routine - wake up, work, sleep.

On Friday morning, Shinji woke up at 6:30 to a soft rapping at the door. He untangled himself from Rei's sleeping form, accidentally waking her in the process, and went to see who was there.

When he answered the door, he found Fuyutsuki standing outside. He had a heavy brown coat over his shoulders and what looked like an oakwood cane in his right hand. On his head was a felt bowler hat.

Shinji welcomed him in quietly.

"Mr Fuyutsuki, sir. What brings you here at this hour?"

"I appear to have woken you, Shinji. I apologize." Fuyutsuki turned towards him quickly. "I'm going out of town with your father for a business convention."

"Oh, I see." Shinji couldn't really say much else - the situation had put him on the spot, and he hadn't woken up properly yet.

"...But aren't you retired, sir?"

Shinji and Fuyutsuki turned around to see Rei, haphazardly dressed in some dirty clothes, but in a decent state.

He greeted her cheerfully. "Yes, I am retired, but I still get the old worker's itch from time to time. Gendo invites me to these conventions every now and again, and I take the chance to keep myself active."

"Ahh, I see." Rei bowed politely as she slipped past into the kitchen to put some coffee on.

"We'll be gone until Sunday, which is why I wanted to see you kids before we went." Fuyutsuki half-shuffled in place to keep the warmth going through his body. "I hate to rush you both, but I would really like an answer to my proposition before we leave."

As the water boiled, Rei offered him a cup of coffee. He refused.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I'm on a tight schedule this morning. Gendo's actually waiting for me out in the car."

Shinji imagined his father waiting on someone in a car, and the thought amused him. He'd never seen a part of his father who was willing to wait for others - he was probably frowning.

He focused back on the topic at hand, though - Mr. Fuyutsuki needed an answer.

"Sir, your gift is a very kind gesture, and we would love to accept your offer. Thank you very much for your generosity." Shinji bowed formally, and Fuyutsuki's face lit up.

"That's great to know! I'm glad you came around in the end."

Rei went to Shinji's side quickly, and bowed alongside him. Before Fuyutsuki could say his goodbyes, however, she caught his attention.

"We would like to thank you for such a gift - we couldn't possibly accept it empty-handed. When we have our ceremony and reception, we would be honored if you could attend as a guest of honor."

Fuyutsuki took her hands. "Of course I'll accept. As long as I'm there to see you both tie the knot, I don't care how I'm treated. Just treat me as a regular guest."

Everybody smiled, glad in their own way that the situation had been sorted out.

Once Fuyutsuki had finished shaking the pair's hands, he straightened out his back, giving him a semblence of the authority he once commanded as their superior. He barely looked like he needed the cane.

"Alright, how do I look?"

"Very sharp, sir." Shinji softly patted the older man on the shoulder. Fuyutsuki grinned.

"Good to know I still have the old charm." Fuyutsuki began going for the door, saying his leave.

"Hold on, sir." Shinji quickly stopped him. "Do you know who's taking my father's place until you get back?"

"Ah yes, Gendo did mention that." Fuyutsuki rubbed his chin as he tried to remember. He soon had the answer:

"I believe he said something about Ms. Katsuragi."

"Okay, that's good to know." Shinji smiled, but inside he felt slightly afraid. Misato was a capable replacement, but no doubt she'd use her position to make fun at Shinji's expense.

"Goodbye Mr. Fuyutsuki, sir." Rei bowed again, and Shinji followed suit. The older man tipped his bowler hat, and was out the door.

* * *

After their surprise morning visitor, the pair began their day. Shinji showered first, and he noticed the state the bathroom was in - their tub had collected dust and needed a clean, and the shower booth was almost completely opaque at the bottom due to soap stains. One day soon, I'm going to clean this place like I promised, he thought.

Once he was out, he saw that Rei had begun cooking things for both breakfast and lunch. She left the kitchen in his hands while she had her shower, and by the time she was out and dressed both their meals were ready. They ate quickly that morning - they were still slightly sluggish from their unexpected awakening, and were beginning to run overtime.

The drive to work was faster than usual, and the pair made it to NERV with minutes to spare. Like always, they parted at the logbook and headed in their separate directions.

When Shinji entered his department, he noticed a card on his desk. It was written in Misato's handwriting - it would seem that the shenanigans were about to begin.

"Shinji - come to my office right away. Your future employment with NERV is hanging in the balance. - Misato."

Shinji looked at his "In" pile, only to find the tray empty.

It seemed like she had covered as many bases as she could. He'd just have to play along if he wanted to get any work done.

With no other choice available, Shinji trudged to his father's office - now under the command of Misato Katsuragi.

He opened the door, not even bothering to knock - to find Misato in his father's chair with Kaji in her lap, the pair of them fully clothed (thankfully) but making out like there was no tomorrow. Misato turned and saw Shinji, and dropped Kaji on the floor like a pile of bricks.

"M-Mr. Ikari!" She was flustered for a moment, likely due to the heavy petting. "Knock next time, or I'll dock your paycheck!"

Shinji sighed in frustration. He was tired from his early waking - his tolerance for shenanigans was practically non-existent.

"Give me my paperwork, Misato."

"That's Ms. Katsuragi to you, Mr. Ikari~"

For someone who had just been caught making out with someone in her boss's office, by the boss's son no less, she had recovered fairly quickly.

Shinji rubbed his temples in irritation. "Please don't be like this."

Kaji stood up, rubbing the back of his head. "If you think she's being hard to deal with, then you haven't met the floor yet."

Shinji looked up, and it was clear that he was reaching the end of his tether. His ears were red and his eyes were narrowed - a fairly radical change from his usual grumpy scrowl. Misato noticed.

"...Okay, that's enough."

Kaji looked at Misato in surprise. "Wait, you're giving up already? This is a first."

"It's fine, Kaji," she spoke in a tone of voice far more down to earth than usual, "it just feels like we've gone a bit far."

Kaji looked at Shinji and noticed the difference as well.

"Yeah, good call I guess." He straightened out his crooked tie.

Shinji seemed to calm down slightly - at least not looking as angry.

"Paperwork, please."

Misato pointed to a chair near the door. Shinji gathered his things and left without saying a word.

As soon as Shinji left, Kaji let out a deep breath.

"Wow, things got really tense all of a sudden. I didn't know he could get that mad."

"Yeah, it's not like him to get this angry." Misato sighed. "I'll have to talk to him about it later."

* * *

Rei was working as she usually did, but Asuka was restless and kept trying to create conversation. Their department was getting a new worker - an "outsider", as Asuka phrased it - and she was being oriented by Aoba.

She was a bit spacey, but she was positive and responsive to instruction. In the 20 minutes she'd been in their department, she'd grasped most of the concepts Aoba told her about, and had even built up a bit of a rapport with him.

Rei finished marking a stack of paperwork, and filed it away. Asuka was on the attack before she could do any more work.

"Man, I dunno about that new Maya girl," Asuka harshly whispered, to Rei's continued annoyance.

"What is so bad about a new employee being added to the roster?"

"Well, she doesn't have a feel of the place! We had specialist training funded by NERV, but she's come in from another city - what if she can't keep up?"

Rei looked up at Asuka, visibly irritated.

"We were taught in classes funded by NERV, but we were not a part of NERV until we were old enough to be employed. I do not understand your bias."

Asuka huffed in a dainty, uppity way. "Well, don't come running to me when your workload increases."

"If my workload increases, then so will yours." Rei grabbed another file and opened it. "And you'll most likely come running to me."

Asuka smirked. "You do have a point, I guess."

Aoba walked over to the pair, with Maya in tow.

"Ladies, this is Maya Ibuki. She'll be joining our department, starting from tomorrow."

Asuka grumbled audibly. She extended a hand for Maya to shake, which Maya took cautiously. Asuka's grip was hard, almost painful, and it came with what seemed like a warning:

"I hope you're good at what you do. The actions of one worker affect the rest."

"Says the woman who neglects her work to speak to others."

Rei's gently-spoken jab left Asuka reeling, and her mood and composure plummeted. Asuka's grip loosened on Maya's hand, which the older woman began to nurse.

"What's got you in such a bad mood today?!"

Rei was too busy for Asuka's antics, and for once she made that clear.

"I'm in an -irritable- mood. You, however, are in a rotten, obstructive mood."

Asuka visibly took offense to Rei's comment. As a flurry of angry words and German expletitives left her mouth, Aoba guided Maya as far from their bubbling argument as he could.

* * *

By lunch, everyone had calmed down somewhat. Both Shinji and Kaji were sitting at the usual table - Misato had gone to fetch a catering order. Rei joined them not long after, but there was no sign of Asuka. Rei spoke before either of the boys could comment;

"Asuka might not make it to lunch."

The 3 ate lunch in silence for a few minutes, before Kaji piped up.

"So, have you both spoken with Mr. Fuyutsuki recently?"

"Yes, we did - this morning, in fact." Rei's chopsticks clicked together as a piece of pork fell through their grip.

"And?"

"...We decided to accept it." Shinji rubbed the back of the neck.

"That's good news - a gift like that is like a stepping stone to your future lives." The older man swished the last of his canned coffee around.

Shinji spoke up, timidly but audibly. "...Would it be okay to just drop the subject whenever anyone asks about it? It's still a bit of an uncomfortable subject."

Kaji was going to comment, but he remembered Shinji's reaction earlier in the morning. There was only a slight chance of him getting angry again, but he figured that it couldn't hurt to drop the subject.

"...Yeah, sure kid. I'll tell Misato that you guys accepted, if that's alright."

"That'd be great, thanks."

It was like all the tension that had built up over the course of the day was beginning to dissipate. Shinji's mood lightened a bit, and Rei began to speak a little more openly.

Misato arrived halfway into the lunch hour with a large, 4-tiered platter of sandwiches and a bucket of fried chicken. By the time lunch ended, not even the whole top tier of sandwiches had been consumed.

Misato seemed happy about it.

"Oh well, I guess I'll have to snack on these throughout the day!"

Shinji and Kaji matched stares. So that'd been why she ordered so much.

Everyone began to move out, with Misato carrying a solid 4 trays of food and half a bucket of chicken, when her voice rang out in Shinji's direction.

"Hey, Shinji! I'd actually like a word whenever you're not busy - maybe even now, if you help me with this!"

He thought back to the work he'd left before lunch - he could probably do it when he got back.

"Alright, hold tight, Misato!"

* * *

He went back and took some trays. By the time they'd lugged the excessive haul of food to Gendo's office, everyone had gone back to work.

Once they had put everything down, Misato relaxed behind Gendo's desk. Shinji sat in front of her - it almost felt like he'd gone in for a job interview.

"So, what did you need me for?"

"I wanted to speak about this morning." Misato's expression darkened slightly.

"...Fair enough." Shinji's gaze began to wander around the room.

"He really doesn't want to talk about it..."

Misato knew Shinji fairly well, and she could tell when he was uncomfortable. Thinking back on the morning though, among all the other times she'd been making him uncomfortable for entertainment, she knew that she had to discuss her feelings with him.

"Look, Shinji - it's not fair for me to make fun of you like I've been doing."

Misato, apologizing? The thought was almost foreign to Shinji - she only apologized for really serious accidents, not for making him angry.

"It's okay, Misato - I've moved on from..."

"It's not just about this morning, Shinji. It's about the last few weeks."

She looked serious about what she was saying. Shinji's thoughts went back along the past few weeks - he'd taken her attitude with stride, and they were getting along fine in the workplace. In his mind, there really was no need to apologize - they were getting along well.

Misato sighed. "I've been much harsher on you lately, and I needed to tell you why."

"Are you saying there's a reason why you've been messing with me for so long?" The concept confused Shinji. Why would she have been acting harsher towards him?

Unless... the constant coupley activities, eating together - it couldn't be...

"Yeah."

Shinji beat her to her own answer.

"Misato... I'm sorry, but I'm engaged."

She blinked.

"Wait... You think it's because... I'm attracted to you?!"

Her reaction surprised Shinji. "Wait, so it's something else?"

"YES!"

Shinji realized exactly what he'd just said.

"...Oh jeez, I'm sorry!"

"'Oh jeez' is right, Shinji!" Misato had taken a sandwich from one of the trays and thrown it at him. It made a mess on his business shirt, and he yelled out in shock.

* * *

They yelled at each other for a little longer, until they were both tired out. An entire tray of sandwiches ended up on the floor, and another ended up on the floor and walls. Both of them lied on the floor, covered in mayonnaise and chicken - Shinji's head propped up on the wall, and Misato lying a few feet away.

Shinji spoke up, once the silence had gotten too much to bare.

"I know it's a bit too late to ask, but what were you gonna tell me about your attitude?"

Misato sat up slowly, her hair matted by the mayonnaise.

"...Kaji. I've been acting harsher because of Kaji."

"Wait, Kaji? I thought you liked him."

Misato sighed. "I do like him, I like him a lot. But he's part of the reason."

She wasn't making much sense to Shinji - maybe she'd been stressed out by his reaction that morning, and was just as tired as he was.

"Then wh-"

"Let me finish, Ikari."

Shinji stopped.

She had taken to feeling through her hair for any solid debris when she began talking.

"Me and Kaji have been on-again off-again since college. When I'm with him, I feel like the person I was back then - young and wild, looking for entertainment. And honestly, you're really fun to tease, which is why we've been bonding over teasing you."

Shinji was stunned for a moment. The first think Misato heard out of him was;

"If it was that simple to sum up, why did we just have this whole fight?!"

She looked around. So much of the office had been covered in sandwich material - there was probably chicken in every nook and cranny. She sighed - so such destruction born from misinformation.

"Hey, if it was so simple, why did you think I was crushing on you?!"

Shinji thought back, and he honestly couldn't believe he'd actually thought what he had. Before he even realized it, he'd begun laughing.

Stressed by the state they were in, and the state of the office, Misato began to laugh too. They were both soon in hysterics, laughing for reasons one had forgot and which the other didn't know in the first place.

The laughter lasted for a while, but subsided quietly as both of them thought about the situation they were in.

"...I'm worried about just calling the cleaners up here." Misato pulled out her cell phone, her hand wiped clean by a tissue from Gendo's desk. "Everyone will hear the announcement, and if people see us sneaking out in the state we're in, they're going to start rumors about us. It'd be weird."

Shinji thought, but she was right - it was a dumb situation, but he knew for a fact that news traveled fast at NERV, regardless of its legitimacy.

The answer was right in front of them, though - Misato didn't grasp it, but the idea came to Shinji pretty fast

"...Why don't we just call Rei and Kaji in here and explain what happened?"

Misato blinked.

"You know, that's not a bad idea."

* * *

They both contacted their significant others, and both of them had decided to view the carnage for themselves. When they entered the office, Kaji had already begun laughing - but he only got worse when he saw the sight for himself. Rei had grabbed a large amount of paper towels for Shinji and Misato to wipe themselves off with.

"So wait, you guys were worried people would think you guys were involved in some... messy, high-stakes office affair, and that it'd travel back to us?" Kaji had a hard time containing his laughter, and when he received confirmation he laughed even harder. Rei had taken to rubbing Shinji's hair with a paper towel to get the mayonnaise out. Misato was visibly irritated by Kaji's behavior - in an angry, smouldering way.

When Shinji and Misato were presentable enough, the group left the room in good spirits. Misato was going to wash herself further in the restroom, but she stopped Shinji from leaving.

"Wait a second, you. Your day here is over."

A brief moment of panic washed over Shinji. "Wait, are you sending me home early?"

"Yeah, I am." Misato pointed to Rei as well. "You too."

"Wait, why?!" Shinji raised his voice slightly. "We have work to do!"

"Relax, Shinji, you're not in trouble."

Anger turned to confusion.

"Why are you sending us..."

"Because you're an eyesore for singles!" Misato yelled obnoxiously. "You're putting us all off of our own work, so you should just go home and sort it out between yourselves!"

Both Shinji and Rei blushed.

"People can hear you, Misato, please be qui-"

"You heard me, you curs!" She was just having fun with it now. "Leave, or you'll really get punished!"

She quietened down quickly. "I'll cover Shinji's workload, and I'll circulate Rei's around her department. Just take the opportunity I'm giving you - just mark your regular finishing times and go, you deserve it."

As they went to leave, Misato raised her voice again. "That's right, begone!"

"You can stop now, you're just making the scene less believable."

Misato huffed at Kaji. "Bleh, you're no fun."

* * *

**AN: Jesus Christ. The longest chapter yet.**

**This chapter is as late as it is because I stopped writing for a while. The whole Ferguson thing has been stressing me out, and I stopped feeling the writer's itch, if that makes sense. I'll see how far I can get through this story, but I don't know if I'll continue writing it.**

**Thank you for reading so far, by the way. I know this story is very purple prosey most of the time, and I violate Show, Don't Tell... more or less all of the time. I'm glad you're enjoying this story, even as it's been moving away from fluff. Next chapter is a sweet little surprise, so stay tuned.**

_**Edited 28/10/2014**_


	6. Chapter 6

_You know the drill - AN at the bottom. Please read it when you get to it, it's important._

* * *

Once Shinji and Rei had gotten home, Shinji jumped right in the shower. The paper towels had only done so much to clean him off, and on the ride home his body heat had spoiled the mayonnaise which was soaked into his shirt. Rei took the half-empty hamper out as soon as he'd gotten out of his clothes, and went downstairs to wash them.

Once Shinji was out of the shower, he put on some comfortable clothes - a loose, slightly used t-shirt and some comfortable slacks. Spying the empty hamper, he headed down to the laundry room. Sure enough, he found Rei waiting by a running washing machine.

"Thank you for taking care of me." He went over to her and gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

She rested her head against the nape of his neck, and breathed him in. The old shirt he was wearing had traces of his musk, and it mixed well with the scent of soap and flowers.

It had been a long day for both of them, even with their premature expulsion from their workplace. Shinji was tired from the ridiculous sandwich fight he'd had, and Rei was tired from the constant stress over Fuyutsuki's offer and Asuka's constant presence around her desk.

"When did things get so tiring?" She spoke into his chest, losing the will to lift her head off of him.

"It feels like it was after our day off." Shinji squeezed her, and she sank into his chest as he spoke. "It was meant to re-orient us and help us clean our apartment up, but it's created more problems than it's solved."

"Mmmm..."

Shinji looked down. She was on the verge of falling asleep in his arms, her face buried in his chest. She looked exhausted.

"...Hey, you go on up to bed." Shinji broke the embrace and held her sides. "I'll take care of this washing, and you can have a rest. You deserve it."

She looked up at him. His eyes were beginning to develop bags, but his eyes were focused and serious.

She leant up and kissed him.

"Thank you."

Once Rei had left, Shinji's posture drooped. He was still somewhat refreshed from his shower, but he was just about ready to fall into a deep sleep himself.

He stuck out the half-hour spin cycle of his clothes by walking around the washing area, and when they were done, he took the clothes to one of the coin-operated dryers which sat along the back wall. Digging through his pockets for change, he managed to scrounge up 200 yen, and he got the dryer going.

After another half-hour, drying his wet clothes to a state of only mild dampness, Shinji lugged them up to the apartment. He was ready to drop dead on his doorstep when he got up to it, and once he'd placed his clothes around the room to dry, he went to the bathroom.

While he sat on the toilet, however, he looked around. The room was as dirty as ever - dusty tub, soap-stained shower booth, general filth around the toilet...

As he noticed the mess, he felt a small nagging feeling growing within him. He wanted to sleep, but he was surrounded by a mess he'd promised to clean. He was going out on Sunday, and he was working tomorrow - the time he had was valuable.

"...Yeah. I'm gonna do this."

* * *

He finished his business on the toilet and sprang into action immediately. He went to the kitchen and looked under the sink, and soon he had filled a small bucket with bottles of cleaning chemicals, along with a fresh sponge and some steel wool. He filled a second bucket with warm water.

As he carried the buckets to the bathroom, he decided on his first target - the shower.

The floor of the shower was clean enough, but the glass booth encasing the shower was caked with months of soap residue - to the point that Shinji couldn't even see through it. He gave the shower floor a quick once-over, and sat in the shower booth as he cleaned the door.

The chemicals began to act quickly, and soon he was working away the soap residue, slowly but surely. Inhaled traces of the chemicals combined with his fatigue, and he thought to himself about the whiteness of the soap as it came away from the glass.

It honestly reminded him of the porcelain-like shade of Rei's skin. It seemed like every inch of her skin was as white as snow.

Shinji stopped.

_Is it rude to compare her skin to soap residue?_

He laughed quietly to himself. _It probably is._

After a few minutes of effort, Shinji could see through the glass again. The residue had run down the drain or been soaked into the sponge. Shinji continued as the results of his effort began to make themselves clearer.

He scrubbed the door and sides of the booth until a majority of the mess had been cleaned up. When he decided to stop, there were still traces of residue - but as Shinji looked over it, he deemed it acceptable.

The last rays of the sun were barely visible on the horizon as Shinji finished with the shower. After picking himself up and leaving the booth, he sat down on the edge of their bathtub for a moment to collect his thoughts. Their bath was large and square - much like a jacuzzi in its shape, but with just a faucet on the wall and a plug-hole on the floor of it. The pair showered more often than not, so the tub had collected a substantial amount of dust.

When they'd first moved into their apartment, they had decided to celebrate with a bath. Though Rei didn't mind either way, Shinji had decorated the bathroom with flower petals and colored candles, and had gotten a bottle of alcohol-free champagne. They had sat in that bath for hours, until the water began to get cold - lying in each other's arms, surrounded by the gentle flickering of candlelight, whispering secrets and gentle nothings to each other.

Everything Shinji had said then, every exaggerated comfort he'd described to Rei - he'd meant every word.

Since then, the bath had only been used once or twice - usually whenever the shower was on the fritz. More often than not, it was coated with dust. By Shinji's guess, it would have been just under a year since it had been cleaned.

He climbed in to pick out the larger dust bunnies. It wasn't long in his new position before he began to run out of energy - his eyelids became heavier and he had trouble focusing on his task. He was about to lay down and rest when he heard footsteps enter the bathroom.

* * *

"...Shinji?"

Rei had gotten up from her rest to go to the bathroom, and was surprised to see how clean the shower booth had become. She looked over at Shinji, on his knees in the tub - he looked a mess, covered in water and dirt as well as looking haggard and exhausted.

"Why are you pushing yourself so hard?"

Shinji coughed.

"I promised to clean the bathroom on Monday, and I had the time now to do it, so... I've been cleaning."

Rei went over to him. "You should come to bed. You look exhausted."

Shinji looked down at the tub. He'd only moved a bit of dust around - it wasn't like he was leaving it half-finished.

He took Rei's hand, and she helped him out - only for them to discover that his legs were now covered in dust.

Shinji looked over towards the shower. He'd already had a shower that day, and he'd just cleaned it, but it looked like his only option.

After a second shower, Rei helped him put everything away. They tipped the bucket of lukewarm water into the bathtub, and Shinji rinsed it out before putting it back under the kitchen sink. Everything went back where he'd found it, and soon he was on his way to bed. Rei went to the bathroom like she'd originally planned, and came back to bed soon after.

"I appreciate your work on the bathroom, but please don't push yourself so hard." Rei was lying close to Shinji and running her fingers through his hair. "You were already tired from today, it's not healthy."

"I know, but I thought... I had the free time to do it, and I might not have that free time for a while now." Shinji parted Rei's hand from his hair, and buried his head into his pillow.

Rei kissed his cheek. "We'll have time before we leave on Sunday, so we'll both get it done then."

Shinji rolled his head over so that he was facing Rei. "But I promised to do it myself on Monday..."

"That was Monday. It doesn't matter as long as it gets done."

Shinji smiled a weary smile.

"Thank you, Rei."

He rolled over, and held her from behind. His head sat comfortably by her shoulder, his soft breaths rolling over her skin like clouds across the sky, each breath giving her goosebumps. She shifted so his face was in the crook of her neck, where he could breathe past her skin.

He kissed her neck, sending a jolt of pleasure down her spine.

She jerked in surprise, and gently kicked his shin with the back of her foot. Shinji grinned a mischievous grin.

"Trouble-maker."

They settled down comfortably, and soon they were on their way to sleep.

* * *

Another couple were having their own conversation, in an apartment complex 45 kilometers away.

"Don't you want to go to bed with me?"

Kaji draped his arms over Misato's shoulders, kissing her cheek.

"Sleazy bastard."

Misato tapped him on the nose with a stapler she had on her desk. It was just a bump, but Kaji flew back in surprise.

"Oh no, I think it's bleeding!" he shouted mockingly, as he dramatically collapsed onto the floor of Misato's apartment. "I'll have to be on bed-rest!"

"You know damn well that I'm busy here, so stop clowning around." Misato hadn't even turned to look at him.

She was buried up to her neck in paperwork, and Kaji knew it. Aside from Gendo's workload, she'd taken it upon herself to do Shinji's work on her own - and he'd only gotten halfway through it that day.

"Sorry, I just wanted to lighten the mood up a bit."

Misato sighed.

"You can lighten the mood by lightening my workload. Here, check these figures on your laptop and print them out for me to work with."

She handed him a USB drive, and he soon got to work helping her. After around 20 minutes of fact-checking and printing, though, he was beginning to get restless.

"Man, this isn't my idea of an ideal sleepover."

"Yeah, I know." Misato moved away from her desk. "I guess this is what we get for planning our visits in advance."

She went into her kitchen and began boiling some water.

"Coffee?"

"That'd be great, thanks." Kaji continued reading through the figures. Misato soon brought out 2 piping hot cups of instant coffee, and set them on a small table next to her work desk.

For the first time in 3 hours, Misato took the time to relax. She'd taken her work into her and Kaji's department while a cleaning crew cleaned Gendo's office, and washed as much as she could in the company restroom. She'd come straight home with Kaji, only to get in the shower, step out and resume working again.

She'd been working in a loose yellow tanktop which she pulled out of the clothes hamper, and a short pair of denim cutoffs. Kaji had undone his tie and the first 2 buttons of his work shirt, and he'd loosened the collar a bit.

"So, you were spooked about Shinji possibly having the hots for you, eh?"

Misato choked on her coffee. Both her and Shinji had been nothing but honest to Rei and Kaji - for better or for worse.

She choked down what she could of her mouthful of coffee, and coughed the rest of it into a tissue.

"Look, it was a weird situation, okay? He used to have this... thing for me, when he wasn't sociable enough to make any friends. His interpretation spooked me."

"Really? That's it?"

"Yeah." Misato looked down and rubbed her arm. She knew that she'd jumped the gun, and that her reaction was uncalled for - the entire day had just been a giant mistake.

She awaited Kaji's usual jab, the sharp comment to poke fun at her. But it never came.

"Fair enough, I guess." Kaji shrugged, as he printed off the documents he'd inspected.

His tone was fairly neutral, a rare occurrence - and one which roused Misato's suspicions.

"This should go without saying," she began as she put her cup down and turned towards Kaji, "but if you tell Shinji that I told you that, I'm going to hurt you."

"Yeah, I know. Sure thing."

He turned from his laptop and sipped his coffee, as a stack of sheets began emerging from Misato's printer. Not a trace of snark was present in his voice.

"...Meh, you're no fun tonight."

Kaji suddenly found himself bearing Misato's weight - she'd slumped over him from behind, her arms slung over his shoulders.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Kaji put his laptop next to him on the couch.

Misato moved around sluggishly, her face smooshed against Kaji's back.

"I'm shleeeeeepy..."

Kaji let the stress out of his shoulders as best he could, and tried to shrug Misato off.

"It doesn't matter if we didn't finish, we can get it done tomorrow."

Misato sighed happily at Kaji's suggestion. Peeling herself off of him, she went to the bathroom before making a beeline to bed. Kaji shut down his laptop and put it on charge, and followed Misato's lead.

After they were settled in, Misato cuddled up to Kaji a bit.

"D'you still want to fool around a little?"

The thought danced through Kaji's head, but he shook his head. "No, not tonight."

Misato yawned. "Man, I can't believe we're too tired to even plow."

"I know, it must be a first for us." Kaji pulled her in and put his face in her hair. Misato sunk into him, as the heat of the room began to send them both to sleep.

A slight, awkward realization hit Misato suddenly, and she spoke up.

"...Are we acting all coupley like the kids?"

Kaji groaned. "I'm honestly too tired to care."

The blunt answer disarmed Misato, and the awkward feeling dissipated. The warm, heavy air of the room took over, and soon the pair was asleep.

* * *

**AN: Okay, first order of business - sorry for the lack of updates. It's likely that there will be few other updates past this one, but at the moment I feel like writing and I wanted to get this done so I could maybe move on to presenting the story in a new way. I pretty much jumped the shark with the stupid fight and the sandwiches - that was stupid and I want to get better.**

**I would like any sort of feedback you may have. In particular - do you enjoy the office setting? Would you like for it to be downplayed a bit, or is it fine as-is? Because I can write about characters handling paperwork for hours and hours, but I worry that it's extremely boring to read. I'm down with writing about the office as I have been, but I'm also down with downplaying it if it affects the story too much. Please, let me know what you think.**

**This chapter has 2 other endings - one extremely depressing and out of the blue (with elements I may recycle), and the other one unprintable without an M rating. It really ****_fingers_**** the line between T and M, and I thought it was safer to scrap it. If you want to read either, let me know and I'll message you a link.**

**And that about covers it. I'll be writing on and off for a few days, so you might get a new chapter sometime soon. It'll most likely be about the double date, but I might get a better idea and go with that. It's been a while since I've bothered to write anything. Thank you for reading, thank you for waiting and thank you for tolerating this massive Author's Note.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey Rei, are you going to be much longer?"

Rei finished applying foundation as Shinji's voice called from outside the bathroom.

"I'll be out in a moment."

She looked in the mirror quickly - the makeup she had applied complemented her appearance, with a light amount of mascara, an opaque, light pink shade of lipstick applied across her lips and the gentle dusting of foundation she had applied to her cheeks.

She was ready for the night ahead of them. Smiling, she opened the bathroom door and let Shinji in. They'd been living together for a good 3 years already, but Shinji was still blown away whenever he saw Rei dressed up - and this time was no exception.

"Oh wow, you look really good." His face went red, and he shifted in his shoes.

To Rei, he was too cute not to tease.

"Are you saying I don't usually look good?" She gave him a playful poke in the arm, and Shinji's limited composure fell apart.

"N-no, of course not!" Shinji felt the heat from his face spread to his shoulders as he tried to respond to Rei. She smiled gently, and planted a soft kiss on his cheek to calm him down.

"It's fine, I'm joking."

Shinji sighed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, please don't do that."

Smiling, Rei left the room. Shinji stepped up to the sink and rummaged through a nearby box, pulling out an electric razor - his unkempt stubble was beginning to give him a resemblance to Kaji. His outfit for the night - beige slacks, a grey dress-shirt and a black/grey striped tie - added to the resemblance.

After shaving, Shinji joined Rei in the kitchen and poured himself some coffee. Both he and Rei were dressed and ready for their night out, but they had some time to spend before they left.

"...I hope they don't serve sandwiches at this restaurant, you and Ms. Katsuragi have a complicated history with those." Rei toyed with Shinji's hair as they leant against the kitchen counter.

"You're in a playful mood tonight," Shinji grinned as he moved away from Rei's hands. She smiled as he untangled his hair from her fingers.

"Honestly, I'm really excited for tonight. I can't wait to see where the night takes us."

"I get what you mean," Shinji said as he sipped his coffee. "We'll be with Misato and Kaji tonight - they always get into trouble when they're drinking. It'll be fun to tag along with them."

The pair stood still for a few moments. The warm smell of coffee swirled around the room, and it blended with the heat from the setting sun to create an intoxicatingly warm atmosphere.

Shinji looked over Rei's body. She had decided on an open maroon jacket and a dark grey dress which reached her knees - both her and Shinji had opted to dress up nice for the night, but not to the point where they'd look out of place dancing or such.

Rei noticed Shinji's gaze, and went over to him. Shinji put his arms back on the counter, sitting his coffee down, as Rei occupied his personal space. He could feel the energy radiating from her as her hands travelled upwards towards his chest, and waited for what he felt would be a short, intense make-out session.

Rei's hands stopped at his tie, and she straightened it. Content with her work, she pulled away from Shinji and poured herself a cup of coffee.

Embarrassed and slightly disappointed, Shinji buried his face into his cup.

* * *

"Come on, get your ass out of my shower!"

Misato tapped her foot impatiently, standing outside her bathroom door. Her hair was up and she was dressed for the night, but she still had to apply her makeup. Kaji had rushed her out to have a shower, and they were running out of preparation time.

The shower stopped after 15 minutes, and Kaji soon walked out of the room wearing a towel. Misato scowled in frustration as he strolled towards the bedroom, whistling.

"Inconsiderate bastard."

She entered the room, only to find that Kaji hadn't turned the ventilation fan on before the shower. The humidity in the room was intolerable - her makeup would run if she attempted to apply it in there.

Misato scowled harder.

By the time the humidity had subsided and she had applied her makeup, they were 10 minutes behind schedule. A fairly calm and relaxed Kaji was soon set upon by an angry Misato, makeup decent but noticeably rushed.

"Damnit Kaji, are you a caveman or something? Use the damn ventilation fan!"

"I'm sorry, it honestly slipped my mind." Kaji lowered his shoulders slightly.

Misato glared at him, but quickly diverted her attention to the time. They had to be on their way out - and fast.

"Whatever. Just grab your stuff and let's go."

Misato picked up her purse from the living room table, and Kaji grabbed his wallet and phone from the kitchen bench. They were soon out the door, Kaji struggling to keep up with the irritated Misato.

* * *

**AN: This is more or less a filler chapter. Like absolute filler - it was going to be the beginning of one big chapter about the night out, but I'm really falling behind on this story and I need to make some announcements. Sorry.**

**First - I am aiming for a monthly release schedule. I have no idea if I'll be able to adhere to it, though, so don't expect too much. Secondly, I am going back and editing some chapters. Chapter 5 already had a few tweaks, and I removed the thing about Gendo seeing the sandwich thing. I also plan to just remove the entire sandwich fight in general. Most of the edits will probably be some rephrasing and typo removal, though.**

**That's pretty much it. See you whenever the next update is, and I'm sorry for the lack of content lately - including this meager offering. The story's not dead, but I am struggling to write it.**


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